March 2010

A father's talk with his son about infant circumcision

Intact versus circumcised slideshowThe following story was posted at Restoring Foreskin.org in the member-only section. The author mel gave me permission to publish his story here. He wishes to save other boys from infant circumcision so that they can grow up whole, just as they should. He does not want them to have to restore their foreskin like he has done for the past several years.


I used to be very active in the foreskin restoration forums (~11-12 years ago or so; I forget now!) when I first started out; however, as the years wore on and I gained the coverage that I wanted, I slowly drifted away as work/home life had to take precedence.

Back then my wife and I were trying to conceive our second child (first was a daughter) and we were having much trouble – it took ~1 year (and I had thought my restoration had something to do with this delay, but no… we got me “checked out”). At the time, since I was WELL AWARE of the ills of circumcision, I was relieved that our first child was a girl, as had she been a HE (back in 1993) I’m certain that we would have had him cut. Now, however, with this second child – if we were successful and if we had a boy, we would NOT do this to him. Read more . . .

Intactivism: Week in Review March 27, 2010

Foreskin rocks! Circumcision sucks!Say no to circumcision - support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.

The number of blogs and articles this week started out slow this week before picking up the pace. I suppose everyone was traveling to the demonstration in Washington and was too busy to blog the first of the week.
  

Monday, March 22, 2010

Dispatch online: TRUDY THOMAS: Circumcise, condomise
A South African doctor writes that even if a man is circumcised, he must still wear a condom for safe sex. Only the condom will prevent HIV, not circumcision. The doctor points out that Eastern Cape men have some of the highest circumcision rates in the world, and they also have some of the highest AIDS infection and death rates. Read more . . .

Protest against infant circumcision in Washington, DC

2010 - 17th Annual Demonstration/March Against Infant CircumcisionI grew up in the 60s. But, I was young enough at that time that the cultural happenings were not on my radar. For example, I had just turned 7 when President Kennedy was assassinated. My only recollection of the event is a memory of wondering why all the grownups were watching a boring show on television. The Summer of Love (1967) found me as an 11 year old. That, as did all the Vietnam War protests, happened when I was too young to appreciate what was going on.

The protest era of the 60s is long gone. But that is not to say that the need has passed. The need for social change is just as great today as then.

The protest era of the 60s was remarkable because so many people were willing to speak out to support their beliefs. The protests, demonstrations, and marches, although maybe not as great in number, still continue.

One upcoming protest starts on Friday, March 26. The protest against infant circumcision is a demonstration in support of genital integrity.  A march to the White House is planned for Wednesday afternoon. The demonstration ends on April 1, the beginning of the National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Read more . . .

Happy Birthday, RestoringForeskin.org!

Restoring Foreskin.org first birthdayForeskin restoration site RestoringForeskin.org is one year old today. Restoring Foreskin.org is a site dedicated to men who wish to undo the damage and harm caused by their circumcision.

One year and two weeks ago, the popular foreskin restoration site RestoreForeskin.org announced that it was shutting down in two weeks. Craig, the site admin, was not responding to anyone's request for information and offers to take over the site.

I was the first person to post a request for help in building a new site. There was not much time. If a new site was to be built before RestoreForeskin.org shut down, it would require more than one person. QBMan, a Canadian restorer, stepped up and volunteered. Others volunteered to be beta testers. We quickly got to work. Read more . . .

Intactivism: Week in Review March 20, 2010

NoCirc.org: Genital Autonomy 'International Child' symbol  See GenitalAutonomy.org

Say no to circumcision - support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.
 

Honorable Mention

Ball State Daily News: OBJECTIONABLE MATERIAL: Foreskin: the controversey
Although this article is several months old, I just discovered it. The article is well written. It discusses the culture that has developed around circumcision and how it perpetuates itself.
  Read more . . .

ARGH! My foreskin is not cooperating!

ARGH! My foreskin is not cooperating!I have been restoring my foreskin for more than 18 months. For about the past year, I have had full flaccid coverage. That is, my foreskin covered my glans when I was flaccid. During the past year, my coverage became more and more reliable. I even developed a pucker. Life was improving, one tug at a time.

But, all that changed last Sunday.

On Sunday my foreskin wanted to stay retracted more than it wanted to be extended. Up until Sunday I was able to walk around naked in the morning with full coverage. During the day, my briefs kept my skin forward. Only at night did I wear a retainer to bed to keep me covered all night. Only rarely would my skin retract. Even then, all I had to do was pull it forward and it would stay there.

Then came Sunday. I woke up and went to the bathroom, where I took of my retainer for the day. It was when I was reading the Sunday paper that I noticed that my restored foreskin was slowly creeping back. My skin retracted until it was just covering my corona. I felt it retract. I looked down and saw that I was between a CI-3 and CI-4 on the coverage index. I am normally about a CI-7. Read more . . .

Intactivism: Week in Review March 13, 2010

Male infant circumcision removes erogenous tissue from the sex organSay no to circumcision - support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.
 

Monday, March 8, 2010

Skeptic but Jewish: Circumcision
A discussion of circumcision and how the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) is often cited as a reason to support infant circumcision.

WTF? Sex Facts: Sex Fact #525
Lawmakers in Boston are debating a bill this month to make infant circumcision illegal in the State.

DrMomma: Peaceful Parenting: My Son is Circumcised and I Support the MGM Bill
A mother describes how her son was circumcised after birth without her permission. Her son suffers from meatal stenosis due to the circumcision.
  Read more . . .

Intactivism: Week in Review March 6, 2010

Massachusetts Bill for Genital Integrity and against Infant CircumcisonSay no to circumcision - support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.
 

Monday, March 1, 2010

Code Name: Momma: Researching Circumcision, Part 3: Common Concerns
The third installment in a thoroughly researched discussion of male infant circumcision.

Maia the Papaya!: Ending Gential Mutilation
A rant about the horrors of male infant circumcision brought on by the Massachusetts Bill for Genital Integrity.

International Coalition for Genital Integrity: Catholic group takes AAP to task on circumcision prejudice
Catholics Against Circumcision is a group of Catholics dedicated to promoting respect for the bodily integrity of all children. They note that the makeup of the AAP task force favors Jews and not Catholics.
  Read more . . .

Taking a break from foreskin restoration

Out to lunch - taking a break from restoring my foreskinRecently, I noticed a red spot on my penis. I am restoring my foreskin by manual tugging. Because I spend so much time manipulating my penis by tugging, I am very aware of any changes. The spot was small, about an 1/8 inch (3mm) long on my sulcus next to my corona glans. It did not hurt and was not painful to touch. I only knew it was there because I could see it.

I am not certain, but I think it was the beginning of a skin tear. I primarily use manual tugging method 2. I am focusing on growing more inner foreskin, so I tug between my sulcus and my circuncision scar. The red spot was right at where I grip my inner foreskin near my corona. Read more . . .